Bilbao’s San Mames will host its very last league match this weekend. FIFA.com looks back at the rich and colourful history of the oldest stadium in Spanish football.
Via: FIFA.com News
Small business owners have cried out over their neglect by successive governments and the deluge of constraints ravaging the development of their businesses in the country.
Bernard Arjirogene, a methylated spirit manufacturer lamented how lack of finance and work space have adversely affected his business. "Small business owners in Nigeria are going through a tough time. I actually want to expand my business but the money is not there to secure space,'' he stated. He stated that unfriendly government policies on certain chemicals have posed a tough task in sourcing for raw materials and thereby increasing cost of doing business. These challenges, according to him, have forced some of his colleagues to abandon their businesses for commercial motorcycle (okada) business.
Sunday Emanuel, a welder, fumed that irregular power supply has caused a serious setback for his business. "Welding business cannot thrive without electricity. Acquiring the kind of generator suitable for this kind of job is not affordable for a small business owner. Most of the time, I have to rely on electricity which is unstable. That means I can't work at will," he stated.(http://cdn.pmnewsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/small-business-traders-448x336.jpg) (http://cdn.pmnewsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/small-business-traders.jpg)small business ownersEmmanuel Adeniji, a cream maker in Mushin condemned the daily extortion and harassment by law enforcement agencies. He added that the imposition of several levies and the issue of multiple taxation have added to the burden of small business owners in Nigeria.
James Uche, a baker said the cost of doing business in Nigeria is overwhelming when compared to what is obtainable in other African countries like Ghana. He also emphasised that it takes strong determination and persistence to survive in the Nigerian business environment. He further revealed that he was forced to lay off some of his workers early this year to enable him continue to stay in business.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, National President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, Dr. Iche Saviour, said small business owners have not enjoyed financial incentives from the government and various commercial banks mandated to help small business owners in the country. He identified some of their pains as high cost of electricity, harassment by the police and NAFDAC officials and lack of access to funds. "We have Bank of Industry, micro finance and other commercial banks that ought to provide financial assistance but it's like they are not readyto release the funds. We only read of funds allocated to micro and small business owners on the pages of newspapers and I want to ask where all the billions reportedly allocated to small business owners have gone,'' he stated.
—Femi Ayodele
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PM News Nigeria
A principal prosecution witness in the on-going trial of Raymond Omatseye, former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, on Thursday, May 30, 2013, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, that Omatseye awarded a contract for the purchase of Blackberry Smartphones without the approval of the board of the agency.
The witness, Ahmed Ibrahim, told Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, that "the contract for the purchase of BlackBerry smart phones was awarded by NIMASA under the leadership of the accused person and according to the records given to me during investigation, the BlackBerry contract award did not go through the board of NIMASA".
Omatseye is standing trial for awarding contracts exceeding the threshold allowed a Director General by the Public Procurement Act while he was in office.
When the witness was asked by the defence counsel, Sofola Olusina, SAN, to state the sum of the contract, Ibrahim told the court that the contract was worth N22,050,000 ( twenty two million and fifty thousand naira ), which was clearly outside the approval threshold of the accused but was not brought before the parastatal's Tenders Board for approval..
In his response to the question asked by Sofola on who wrote the memo contained in exhibit PD 17b, Ibrahim told the court that the accused wrote the memo to the board of directors of NIMASA, seeking its approval for the procurement of the BlackBerry smart phones. However, he pointed out that there was no evidence that the board approved the procurement as there is no board resolution conveying such approval, adding that the former Director General acted unilaterally.
Ibrahim also told the court during questioning that the cost of a BlackBerry phone at the time of his investigation was N120, 000(one hundred and twenty thousand naira) but had no knowledge if the phones supplied came with lines.
The case has been adjourned to June 26 and 27, 2013, for continuation of trial.
EFCC Media & Publicity Unit